G4S

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Attorney-General what the current level of expenditure by the Law Officers' Departments is on contracts with G4S; and how much was spent by his Department on contracts with G4S in each year since 2008.

Oliver Heald: The Serious Fraud Office and HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate have not incurred any expenditure with the G4S group of companies during this period.
	TSol has spent £9,257 with the G4S group of companies since 2008. Apart from the expenditure in 2011, which relates to training services provided to the AGO, the remaining expenditure relates exclusively to the maintenance of a security system provided for a building in Taunton, which TSol leases, but does not occupy. The following table summarises total expenditure with the G4S group of companies for each year since 2008.
	
		
			  £ 
			 2008 1,897 
			 2009 3,041 
			 2010 2,185 
			 2011 1,112 
			 2012 1,022 
			 Total 9,257 
		
	
	TSol has not incurred any spending with the G4S group of companies since 2012.
	The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has spent £210,701 with G4S group companies since 2008. During this time G4S have supplied security services such as key holding, guarding and maintenance of building control systems. In August 2012 the department awarded a new facilities management contract with Europa Facilities Services Ltd and the majority of services previously supplied by G4S are now delivered under this contract. G4S remain under contract at a small number of sites and as these agreements expire or if it is cost effective to do so earlier, these services will also be added to the Europa contract. Current expenditure with G4S Group companies is approximately £2,500 per month. The following table summarises total expenditure with G4S group companies for each year since 2008.
	
		
			  £000 
			 2008 27 
			 2009 36 
			 2010 45 
			 2011 48 
			 2012 48 
			 2013 7 
			 Total 211

Prosecutions

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General how many prosecutions were discontinued in the magistrates' court by way of a written notice under section 23 of the Prosecution of Offences Act 1985 in (a) 2012-13 and (b) each of the preceding 10 years.

Oliver Heald: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) holds figures for the number of defendant prosecutions discontinued in the magistrates court by way of a written notice under section 23 of the Prosecution of Offences Act 1985 for the last nine financial years.
	
		
			  Prosecutions with outcome—Discontinued S.23 
			 2004-05 40,001 
			 2005-06 39,596 
			 2006-07 37,513 
			 2007-08 33,200 
			 2008-09 30,226 
			 2009-10 30,665 
			 2010-11 32,540 
			 2011-12 30,226 
			 2012-13 26,809

Prosecutions

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General what the Crown Prosecution Service's conviction rate has been in cases in which the defendant has pleaded not guilty of (a) rape, (b) murder, (c) murder where the case was prosecuted by a single counsel and (d) murder where there were multiple defendants and a single prosecution counsel in each of the last 10 years.

Oliver Heald: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) maintains a central record of the outcomes of cases where the defendant has pleaded not guilty and the prosecution proceeded to trial. Cases where suspects are considered for offences of rape are identified by way of a monitoring flag. Flagged data are available for the last seven financial years. The outcomes of cases where a rape flag has been applied and the defendant has pleaded not guilty are as follows:
	
		
			  Convictions Unsuccessful All contests 
			  Number Percentage Number Percentage Number 
			 2006-07 701 51.1 670 48.9 1,371 
		
	
	
		
			 2007-08 805 55.6 643 44.4 1,448 
			 2008-09 809 55.9 639 44.1 1,448 
			 2009-10 878 53.3 769 46.7 1,647 
			 2010-11 988 51.8 920 48.2 1,908 
			 2011-12 1,064 57.4 791 42.6 1,855 
			 2012-13 1,026 56.0 806 44.0 1,832 
		
	
	The CPS's case management system does not allow the monitoring of murder cases. However, the principal offence category, which indicates the most serious offence with which the defendant is charged at the time of finalisation, allow the disaggregation of cases where the most serious offence has been categorised as 'Homicide'. The homicide category will include murder cases but also prosecutions for manslaughter and other offences. Data are available for the last eight financial years. The outcomes of cases identified as homicide cases where the defendant has pleaded not guilty are as follows:
	
		
			  Convictions Unsuccessful All contests 
			  Number Percentage Number Percentage Number 
			 2005-06 537 76.7 163 23.3 700 
			 2006-07 485 76.1 152 23.9 637 
			 2007-08 503 76.3 156 23.7 659 
			 2008-09 630 82.7 132 17.3 762 
			 2009-10 514 76.1 161 23.9 675 
			 2010-11 474 81.7 106 18.3 580 
			 2011-12 433 82.5 92 17.5 525 
			 2012-13 484 79.3 126 20.7 610 
		
	
	Please note that these figures include cases where a defendant has pleaded guilty to some, but not all, of the charges and the prosecution has continued to trial on the charges where a not guilty plea has been entered. The CPS do not hold a central record of the outcomes of murder cases prosecuted by a single counsel or of murder cases which involved multiple defendants and such information could be provided only at a disproportionate cost.

Scotland

Pete Wishart: To ask the Attorney-General what meetings (a) he and (b) officials in the Law Officers' Departments have had with the right hon. Member of Edinburgh South West as part of the Scotland Analysis Programme.

Oliver Heald: Neither I and the Attorney-General or any of our officials have met with the right hon. Member for Edinburgh South West (Mr Darling), as part of the Scotland Analysis Programme.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she intends to reply to the letter to her dated 27 March 2013 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr Mohammad Yahya Butt.

Mark Harper: I have written to the right hon. Member today.

Police Authorities

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether local police authorities are required to collect data for the user satisfaction survey.

Damian Green: Police forces are required to collect data from user satisfaction surveys and submit this quarterly to the Department as part of the Annual Data Requirement (ADR). Police Authorities were disbanded on 22 November 2012 following the election of Police and Crime Commissioners.

Police: Complaints

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the role of police and crime commissioners is with regards to public complaints about police handling of their cases.

Damian Green: Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) are directly elected to represent the public and ensure they have a voice in how their force is policed, as such they will be taking a keen interest in the public's views on these matters.
	A PCC is the appropriate authority for complaints relating to the chief constable. This means that PCCs are required to deal with complaints against chief constables in accordance with legislation. The chief constable, rather than the PCC, is the appropriate authority for complaints relating to the other police officers and staff in the force, but PCCs are required to keep themselves informed about the chief constable's handling of those complaints.
	Where it appears to the PCC that the chief constable has not complied with a legal obligation in relation to the handling of complaints or has contravened an obligation, the PCC may direct the chief constable to take whatever steps the PCC thinks appropriate. This is set out in greater detail in the IPCC's statutory guidance which can be found at: IPCC.gov.uk.

Sexual Offences

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many sexual assaults occur, where the perpetrator is (a) unknown and (b) known to the victim in each year; and what estimate she has made of the number of unreported sexual offences in cases where the perpetrator is known to the victim.

Nick Hurd: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Cabinet Office.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated May 2013
	.
	Domestic abuse is known to be under reported in face-to-face surveys therefore the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) includes a self completion module which asks 16-59 year olds about their experience of Intimate Personal Violence (IPV). The module asks respondents if they have been a victim of sexual assault in the past 12 months, however it does not ask how many times they have been a victim. As a result, the number of victims can be provided but not the number of incidents of sexual assault.
	Figures have been calculated using data collected over three years; 2009/10, 2010/11 and 2011/12 in order to provide more robust estimates of the number of victims. Using this method it is estimated that there were 8,879 victims of serious sexual assault aged 16-59 where the perpetrator was unknown to the victims and 88,742 where the perpetrator was known. These figures are based on the number of respondents who said they were a victim in the 12 months prior to interview, averaged across the three survey years.
	The CSEW also asks victims of serious sexual assault whether they reported the incident to the police; however due to the relatively small numbers involved it is not possible to provide a robust estimate of reporting rates broken down by victim offender relationship.

Telecommunications

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what (a) organisations and (b) public authorities have provided information in response to her Department's request for business cases for access to communications data; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what local authorities have provided information about their ongoing requirement for communications data in response to her Department's request for business cases for access to communications data; and if she will make a statement;
	(3)  if she will place in the Library copies of the information received from all local authorities in response to her Department's request for business cases for access to communications data; and if she will make a statement;
	(4)  if she will place in the Library copies of the information received from the (a) Charity Commission, (b) Environment Agency, (c) Food Standards Agency, (d) Gambling Commission, (e) Health and Safety Executive, (f) Office for Communications, (g) Pensions Regulator and (h) Royal Mail in response to her Department's request for business cases for access to communications data; and if she will make a statement.

James Brokenshire: The Government is committed to ensuring that only those public authorities that can justify their access to communications data retain these powers in the longer term. A number of public authorities that have current access to communications data have submitted their cases for continued access and these remain under consideration.
	The public authorities who have provided further information are listed as follows:
	Ambulance Services
	Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
	Charity Commission
	Civil Nuclear Constabulary
	Criminal Cases Review Commission
	Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission
	Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (Northern Ireland)
	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
	Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment (Northern Ireland)
	Department of the Environment (Northern Ireland)
	Department of Health—Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency
	Department for Transport—Accident Investigation Branches and Maritime and Coastguard Agency
	Department for Work and Pensions (including in relation to functions formerly the responsibility of the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission)
	Environment Agency
	Financial Services Authority
	Fire and Rescue Services
	Food Standards Agency
	Gambling Commission
	Gangmasters Licensing Authority
	Health and Safety Executive
	Independent Police Complaints Commission
	Information Commissioner
	Local authorities
	Ministry of Justice (NOMS and Contracted Out Prisons)
	NHS Business Services Authority
	Northern Ireland Office (Prison Service)
	The Office of Communications (Ofcom)
	Office of Fair Trading
	The Pensions Regulator
	Ports Police—Dover and Liverpool
	Office of the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland
	Royal Mail
	Serious Fraud Office
	Scottish Environment Protection Agency
	UK Border Agency—including Border Force
	All of these are being considered. As was indicated in the Gracious Speech on 8 May 2013, we will bring forward proposals for the investigation of crime in cyberspace in due course.

Academies

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education with reference to the answer of 16 April 2013, Official Report, column 360W, on academies, if he will publish anonymised details of the complaints concerning the conduct of academy brokers and the outcome of any investigations by his Department.

Edward Timpson: The Department requires the highest standards of conduct from academy brokers, who do a very difficult job in the face of opposition to the government's programme to turn around failing schools.
	Six formal written complaints have been made to the Department about the conduct of named academy brokers in the 12 months up to 16 April 2013. Five investigations have been concluded and resolved to the Department's satisfaction; the majority were found to be without basis.
	In each case the complainant was given feedback on the investigation and was informed of how they could pursue their complaint further if they were not satisfied with the outcome. In two cases, complaints were partially upheld. One investigation is on-going.

Free School Meals

Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether he plans to consult on eligibility for free school meals ahead of the introduction of universal credit.

David Laws: We are working very closely with other departments, including the Cabinet Office and the Department for Work and Pensions, to simplify free school meals criteria under universal credit, while ensuring that free lunches continue to be available to the families who need them most These discussions, which include consideration of a phased implementation timetable, are in recognition of the significant number and complexity of passported benefits across Government, most of which have different eligibility criteria.
	We will allow good time to enable schools, local authorities and children's charities to comment on our proposals before we introduce new entitlement criteria for free school meals under universal credit.

Skills Funding Agency

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when the Skills Funding Agency will produce its property data survey.

Matthew Hancock: I will write to the hon. Member for Cardiff West with the information requested.

Teachers: Training

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent assessment he has made of proposals for the establishment of a Royal College of Teaching.

David Laws: The establishment of an independent professional body for teachers would represent an important step in helping the teaching profession to realise greater autonomy and self-determination, like the medical profession. We welcome the current debate, which sends a hugely important signal about the aims and aspirations of the teaching profession.
	However, we recognise that, if it is to be successful, an emergent professional body must have its genesis within, the profession itself. Any role for Government would depend on how such a body proposed to operate, and how it wished to work with Government. Nevertheless, we are firmly in agreement with the view that an effective professional body for teachers could play a vital role in further raising standards of teaching, championing excellence and enhancing the status of the teaching profession.

Teachers: Training

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking to encourage continuing professional development for teachers.

David Laws: Research suggests that the most effective types of professional development are collaborative, sustained; closely linked to teachers' classroom practice and supported by expertise. We are creating a national network of Teaching Schools to improve the capacity of schools to take the lead in the training and development of teachers and create more opportunities for peer-to-peer learning.
	The new Teachers' Standards set a clear benchmark for the level of practice expected of all teachers, and provide a valuable tool to help head teachers and teachers identify and address development needs through regular appraisal.
	While we increasingly expect schools and teachers to take more responsibility for their own professional development, there are some areas where we have provided additional support, such as the National Scholarship Fund, through which we are encouraging more teachers to deepen their subject knowledge and SEN expertise. We have recently announced £2 million funding so that the best computing teachers can help train thousands more teachers.

Copyright

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will bring forward legislative proposals to make it illegal to strip copyright metadata and other information which identifies the copyright holder of a piece of work.

Jo Swinson: Section 296ZG of The Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988 (as amended) already provides protection against the deliberate removal or alteration of electronic rights management information such as metadata from copyrighted works, where there is knowledge or reason to believe that by doing so the person is inducing, enabling, facilitating or concealing an infringement of copyright.

Public Houses

Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to better regulate public houses and breweries.

Jo Swinson: The Government seeks to support a healthy, thriving and diverse pubs sector. We have launched a consultation on establishing a statutory Code of Practice and an independent Adjudicator to enforce the Code, to govern the relationship between pub companies and their tenants. We welcome evidence about the impact such proposals would have on the pubs industry.
	The consultation and associated short online questionnaire closes on 14 June 2013, and can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/pub-companies-and-tenants-consultation
	This consultation forms part of the Government's wider work to support the pubs sector, including abolishing the beer duty escalator and cutting beer duty this year.

Risk Management

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  what progress his Department has made towards the launch of the critical resources dashboard;
	(2)  when the critical resources dashboard will be launched.

Michael Fallon: The development of a pilot critical resources dashboard is being led by the Environment Sustainability Knowledge Transfer Network (ESKTN). A prototype site is available at:
	www.resourcedashboard.co.uk
	The ESKTN has been working to develop the site and gather further data, working with other partners including the British Geological survey and the Waste and Resources Action programme. The ESKTN expect to make further announcements about the launch of the dashboard by the Summer.

Housing: Disability

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many houses in each local authority have been adapted or constructed for accessibility to individuals with spinal cord injuries.

Mark Prisk: The Department for Communities and Local Government funds the Disabled Facilities Grant which is administered by local authorities in England and provides adaptations to the homes of disabled people to help them to live as independently as possible in their own home. In 2011-12 the grant provided adaptations for around 40,000 households, but data on adaptations provided specifically to individuals with spinal cord injuries is not collected.
	The Department secured £725 million for the grant in the 2010 spending review for the period 2011-12 to 2014-15 and over the last two years the Government has invested a further £60 million in the Disabled Facilities Grant, bringing the total grant in 2011-12 to £200 million and in 2012-13 to £220 million.

Social Rented Housing: Business

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps he has taken to remove the barriers to social tenants running a business from home.

Mark Prisk: The Government is committed to removing the barriers that prevent social tenants running businesses from their homes. To this end, in November 2010 I wrote, together with my right hon. Friend the Member for Welwyn Hatfield (Grant Shapps), to social landlords urging them to ensure that tenants are provided with encouragement, help and advice on how to work from home. A copy of this has been placed in the Library of the House.
	At our encouragement, the Chartered Institute of Housing produced a guide for social landlords on the matter, including advice on how to develop an organisational policy, how to promote to tenants the potential opportunities that exist to run a business from home and how to support them with the information they need. The guide can be found at:
	http://www.cih.org/publication-free/display/vpathDCR//templatedata/cih/publication-free/data/Running_a_business_from_home

Travellers: Finance

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much the Homes and Communities Agency has spent on provision of services and facilities for Travellers in each of the last three years; and how much the Homes and Communities Agency intends to spend on such provision in each of the next three years.

Don Foster: The Homes and Communities Agency has provided funding to local authorities and other registered providers to support the construction and refurbishment of authorised traveller pitches. The funding provided in each of the last three years (2010-11 to 2012-13) and the funding forecast for 2013-14 and 2014-15 is set out in the following table. Government spending in 2015-16 is subject to the current spending review.
	
		
			 Programme Year Funding (£) 
			 Gypsy and Traveller Site Grant 2010-11 15,187,000 
			    
			 Traveller Pitch Funding 2011-12 2,839,050 
			  2012-13 1,482,073 
			  2013-14 19,800,000 
			  2014-15 34,300,000

Floods: Insurance

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with reference to the answer of 15 April 2013, Official Report, column 73W, on floods: insurance, what steps he is taking to ensure that insurance premiums and terms of cover take account of all relevant flood mitigation measures not just recently-installed, property-level measures.

Richard Benyon: Insurance companies each take different approaches to assessing flood risk and on how they incorporate information about flood mitigation into their risk assessment and pricing decisions.
	Constructive discussions continue between Government and the Association of British Insurers and others about the future of flood insurance. Issues such as affordability and pricing are part of these discussions. However it would not be appropriate to provide details of discussions while they are ongoing. I will endeavour to provide a public update at the earliest appropriate opportunity.

Flour: Additives

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  when he plans to announce the Government's decision on the outcome of its consultation on the Bread and Flour Regulations 1998;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of benefits to (a) the milling industry and (b) other businesses of the Bread and Flour Regulations 1998;
	(3)  whether the Bread and Flour Regulations 1998 will be affected by the Government's Red Tape Challenge.

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the effect on public health if fortification of bread and flour with key nutrients were no longer mandatory;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the potential effect on low income groups if fortification of bread and flour with key nutrients is no longer mandatory;
	(3)  what assessment he has made of whether to revoke the Bread and Flour Regulations as part of the Government's Red Tape Challenge;
	(4)  what assessment he has made of the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition's report on the nutritional implications of repealing the Bread and Flour Regulations 1998;
	(5)  when the Government plans to announce its decision on the Bread and Flour Regulations 1998 consultation;
	(6)  what assessment he has made of the potential effect on the milling industry and costs to other businesses of revocation of the Bread and Flour Regulations 1998;
	(7)  what assessment he has made of the potential effect on business certainty if the Bread and Flour Regulations 1998 are to be revoked in England but remain in place elsewhere in the UK;
	(8)  what assessment he has made of the regulatory burden on business if the Bread and Flour Regulations 1998 are to be revoked.

David Heath: DEFRA is currently coordinating a review of the national rules relating to bread and flour as they apply to England. It has held a public consultation seeking views on possible deregulatory options which closed on 13 March 2013. We are currently analysing the 47 responses received in conjunction with the Department of Health. The Government is committed to ensuring that any policy decision on the removal of mandatory fortification will take into account an assessment of the health impacts, the impact on industry, the implications for other parts of the United Kingdom, and the interests of consumers. The Government intends to announce its decision before the summer recess.

Afghanistan

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost has been of the recall and changes made to equipment sent to Afghanistan under the auspices of Purple Gate; and if he will make a statement.

Philip Dunne: holding answer 13 May 2013
	Specific cost data for equipment uniquely used in Afghanistan, transported to the UK, upgraded and returned back to Afghanistan is not held.

G4S

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the current level of expenditure by his Department is on contracts with G4S; and how much was spent by his Department on contracts with G4S in each year since 2008.

Philip Dunne: The current level of expenditure in financial year 2013-14 i.e. from 1 April 2013 with G4S and its associated companies is £307,000 as at 12 May 2013. Expenditure for each year from 2008-09 to 2012-13 is shown in the following table:
	
		
			 £ million 
			  2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 
			 MOD 6.325 6.999 7.444 8.705 4.471 
			 Defence Science and Technology Laboratory 0.003 1 0.003 0.002 0.020 0.000 
		
	
	The UK Hydrographic Office and the Defence Support Group have not committed any expenditure with G4S and its associated companies since 2008.

Energy Companies Obligation: Rural Areas

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much has been spent by energy companies on the rural safeguard sub-obligation delivering their carbon saving communities obligation to rural low income houses to date; and how many (a) oil-fired and (b) LPG-fired boilers have been replaced under the Affordable Warmth Scheme of the Energy Companies Obligation to date.

Gregory Barker: We will be publishing information relating to ECO measures which have been delivered and notified to Ofgem in an Official Statistics release in June. However, this data will not be able to distinguish between oil-fired and LPG-fired boilers. For further information about measures available under ECO please see:
	http://www.ofgem.gov.uk/Sustainability/Environment/ECO/Info-for-suppliers/Documents1/Energy%20Companies%20Obligation%20ECO%20-%20List%20of%20Measures%20and%20Additional%20 Information.pdf

Energy: Prices

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he is taking to make energy bills more easily understood.

Gregory Barker: Ofgem's Retail Market Review final proposals include mandating that prompts to consider energy options and essential tariff information are provided in prominent and noticeable positions on bills, and introducing industry consistency where appropriate. It also proposes new rules designed to increase consumers’ awareness of alternative tariffs and to help compare tariffs.
	The Government has introduced clauses into the Energy Bill so that it can act to implement these important reforms in the event that Ofgem's proposals are frustrated or unduly delayed.

Renewable Energy

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether (a) fuel cells and (b) hydrogen are being considered as suitable for a feed-in tariff by April 2014.

Gregory Barker: The GB feed-in tariff scheme supports five technologies, wind, solar, hydro, anaerobic digestion and micro-CHP; of these, micro-CHP can be fuelled by fuel cells or hydrogen.
	We recently completed the first comprehensive review of the FITs scheme, as part of this consultation we considered whether to extend support to other forms of technology. We received no significant evidence of a need to extend the scope of the scheme and therefore announced in July 2012 our intension to continue to support the above five technologies. Further details-are available in the Government response document:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/tariffs-for-non-pv-technologies-comprehensive-review-phase-2b

Renewable Energy

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to his reply to question 37 at the sitting of 15 January 2013 of the Public Bill Committee on the Energy Bill, when he plans to publish the consultation paper on a community energy strategy.

Michael Fallon: Later this year, we will publish a Community Energy Strategy. To inform the strategy, we will publish a Call for Evidence this spring, seeking responses from a wide range of organisations and individuals.
	Community energy is on the rise in the UK, reconnecting communities to the energy they use, with community projects and initiatives focused on reducing, managing, generating or purchasing energy.

Wind Power

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many planning applications for onshore wind farms were (a) approved and (b) rejected in 2012.

Gregory Barker: According to the Renewable Energy Planning Database (REPD), 215 onshore wind projects were consented over the whole of the UK from January to December 2012:
	https://restats.decc.gov.uk/app/reporting/decc/monthlyextract
	Over this same period, the number of projects that were refused planning consent was 115.
	For completeness, you may also wish to know that there were a further 84 applications for onshore wind projects that were withdrawn from the planning system during this period.

Wind Power

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much onshore wind capacity (a) received planning approval and (b) was rejected in 2012.

Gregory Barker: According to the Renewable Energy Planning Database (REPD), 1892.97 megawatts installed capacity of onshore wind was consented over the whole of the UK from January to December 2012:
	https://restats.decc.gov.uk/app/reporting/decc/monthlyextract
	Over this same period, 829.73 megawatts installed capacity of onshore wind was refused planning consent.
	For completeness, you may also wish to know that applications for a further 320.88 megawatts installed capacity of onshore wind were withdrawn from the planning system.

Advisory Committee on Resource Allocation

Therese Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to ensure that the needs of patients of all ages and from across the UK are provided for in the composition of the Advisory Committee on Resource Allocation.

Daniel Poulter: The future role of the Advisory Committee on Resource Allocation will be to provide advice to both NHS England on allocations to clinical commissioning groups and the Department on ring fenced public health grants for local authorities, facilitated by a secretariat that is based in NHS England.
	The membership of the committee and its subgroups is now being reviewed by NHS England to develop proposals that ensure that it continues to have the right expertise for its important work, including the right mix of academics, clinicians, national health service managers, local authority managers, and representatives of patients and service users. The membership will be agreed between NHS England and the Department.

Clinical Commissioning Groups

Therese Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish all calculations undertaken in the process of allocating resources to clinical commissioning groups for 2013-14; and what (a) formulae and (b) criteria were used in each such calculation.

Daniel Poulter: Decisions on the allocation of resources to clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) are a matter for NHS England, who would publish any supporting information.
	We are informed by NHS England that all CCGs' baseline allocations were increased by 2.3% for 2013-14.

Clinical Commissioning Groups: West Midlands

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will direct the area director of NHS England in Shropshire and Staffordshire to publish (a) the delegated budgets for the clinical commissioning groups in (i) North Staffordshire, (ii) Stoke-on-Trent, (iii) South Staffordshire and (iv) Shropshire in the year ending 31 March (A) 2013 and (B) 2014 and (b) what those budgets are per head of population in each such area in each financial year.

Daniel Poulter: We are informed by NHS England that North Staffordshire, Stoke-on-Trent, South Staffordshire and Shropshire are the old primary care trust (PCT) areas.
	Table 1 shows the clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) budget for 2013-14 (supplied by NHS England). This covers the areas of the four above PCTs. It is difficult to map the old PCTs to the new CCG areas. This is the first year of CCG allocations hence 2012-13 data is not available.
	
		
			 Table 1: CCGs budget for 2013-14 
			 CCGs 2013-14 (£ million) Registered population Budgets are per head of population (£) 
			 North Staffordshire 248.40 212,949 1,166.48 
			 Stoke-on-Trent 334.60 278,920 1,199.63 
			 Cannock 149.20 131,900 1,131.16 
			 Stafford and Surrounds 154.30 144,598 1,067.10 
			 East Staffordshire 135 134,185 1,006.07 
			 Shropshire 342.90 298,133 1,150.16 
			 South East and Seisdon Peninsula 219.60 211,331 1,039.13 
			 Telford and Wrekin 185 172,239 1,074.09 
			 Source: NHS England

UK Companies: Third World Markets

Naomi Long: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will take steps to ensure that UK companies operating in third world countries are more transparent and accountable regarding the tax they pay in those countries.

Sajid Javid: The UK plays a leading role in supporting developing countries to access sustainable sources of revenue, including through increasing transparency in the extractives sector to address corruption.
	One of the Governments key priorities on tax and development is to ensure that developing countries can benefit from international advances on tax transparency and exchange of information as these are important tools in identifying and tackling international tax avoidance and evasion.

National Infrastructure Plan

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what progress he has made on implementing the national infrastructure plan.

Sajid Javid: Two of the top 40 priority investments are due to complete later this year, including the King's Cross station improvements, worth over £500 million and a roads programme.
	Also, Budget 2013 confirmed that the first UK guarantee for a commercial sponsor has been agreed—£75 million for Drax Power Station.
	To build on this success, from 2015-16, the Government will increase its spending plans by £3 billion per annum. This will mean £18 billion additional investment over the next Parliament.

Financial Sector: Reform

Damian Hinds: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to reform the regulation of the financial sector.

Greg Clark: This Government has moved quickly to correct the fundamental errors in the regulatory system that, in part, caused the financial crisis.
	In two and a half years we have replaced the failed system with:
	A financial Policy Committee of the Bank of England to identify and prevent systemic risks
	A new Prudential Regulation Authority
	A dedicated conduct regulator
	And in the Banking Reform Bill, currently before this House, we will require everyday banking services to be ring-fenced from more risky investment banking activities.

Child Poverty

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent assessment he has made of the effect of Government fiscal policy on child poverty.

Sajid Javid: The Government has protected vulnerable groups as far as possible while urgently taking action to tackle the record deficit it inherited.
	Work remains the best and most immediate way out of poverty and the Budget took action to support families and make the tax and welfare system fairer: including further increasing the income tax personal allowance to take 2.7 million people on low incomes out of tax altogether.

Minimum Wage

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has for the minimum wage over the remainder of this Parliament.

Jo Swinson: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
	The Government remains committed to the national minimum wage (NMW).
	The Government annually reviews the minimum wage rates that should apply and makes its decision on the basis of recommendations from the Low Pay Commission. We intend to continue with this approach.
	On 15 April 2013 we announced the minimum wage rates that will apply from 1 October 2013 and I refer the hon. Member to the written ministerial statement given by the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, my right hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), on 15 April 2013, Official Report, columns 1-3WS.
	In addition, we are consolidating the numerous NMW regulations into a single set of regulations. This is because we want to reflect the simplicity and clarity of the NMW rules within a single set of regulations. We will introduce the improved set of regulations, following consultation, during this Parliament.

Public Expenditure: Scotland

David Hamilton: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what formula his Department will use to adjust the block grant to Scotland to reflect the implementation of the new taxation powers contained in the Scotland Act 2012.

Danny Alexander: The Government has agreed a block grant adjustment mechanism with the Scottish Government in relation to the Scottish rate of income tax, whereby the adjustment will be indexed against growth in the UK non-savings non-dividend income tax base. Discussions on an adjustment mechanism in relation to Stamp Duty Land Tax and Landfill Tax are ongoing.
	Further information is contained in the Government's first annual report on the implementation of the Scotland Act 2012, available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/first-annual-report-on-the-implementation-of-the-financial-provisions-of-the-scotland-act-2012

Tax Allowances: Married People

Tim Loughton: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he plans to introduce transferable tax allowances for married couples.

David Gauke: The Government is committed to recognising marriage in the tax and benefit system and will bring forward proposals in due course.

Working Tax Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many households in receipt of the childcare element of working tax credit claimed for the maximum eligible childcare costs for (a) one child and (b) two or more children; and how many such households incurred childcare costs in excess of these limits in each year since 2005-06.

Sajid Javid: Tax credit rules state that the maximum amount a family can claim in childcare costs is £175p/w for one child and £300p/w for two or more children.
	The following table details the number of families claiming the childcare element of working tax credit, and the weekly childcare costs being claimed for by the family. The number of families claiming childcare costs of £175p/w and £300p/w has also been provided. Information on whether the families with these costs are claiming the maximum amount is only available at disproportionate cost.
	Data for 2011-12 is unavailable, HMRC is due to publish the 2011-12 Tax Credits Finalised Annual awards at the end of May 2013.
	
		
			 Numbers (thousand) 
			  2010-11 2009-10 2008-09 2007-08 
			 Under £20 45 44 44 44 
			 £20-£39.99 73 71 69 67 
			 £40-£59.99 65 64 63 62 
			 £60-£79.99 60 58 55 52 
			 £80-£99.99 50 49 48 46 
			 £100-£119.99 38 39 38 36 
			 £120-£139.99 33 35 36 33 
			 £140-£159.99 29 30 29 24 
			 £160-£179.99 33 35 33 25 
			 Of which is £175: 15 17 16 12 
			 £180-£199.99 1 1 1 6 
			 £200-£249.99 11 12 12 10 
			 £250 or more 13 15 14 11 
			 Of which is £300: 6 7 6 5 
		
	
	Information on families' actual incurred childcare costs in excess of the weekly thresholds is only available at disproportionate cost.
	The Government are making a sustained investment in early education and childcare. The Government have already extended the free entitlement to 15 hours of early education and childcare for all three-four year olds, and is investing an additional £760 million a year to extending this provision to 260,000 two year olds from lower income families by 2014-15.
	On 20 March 2013 the Government announced that it would develop a new Tax-Free Childcare scheme that is simple and easy for parents to access. The new scheme will expand support for affordable childcare to 2.5 million families, not just the 450,000 or so who are fortunate enough to work for an employer that offers employer support childcare (ESC). From autumn 2015 working families will be able to claim 20% of childcare costs of up to £1,200 per child aged under twelve (£2,400 for two children, £3,600 for three children etc.) under a new Tax-Free Childcare scheme.

Apprentices

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many apprenticeships have been created in (a) the tourism sector and (b) libraries in (i) Barnsley Central constituency, (ii) South Yorkshire and (iii) England in (A) 2010, (B) 2011 and (C) 2012.

Edward Vaizey: Six travel services apprenticeships have been completed in South Yorkshire (including Barnsley) since April 2012; five intermediate apprenticeships and one advanced.
	People 1(st) have advised that the number of apprenticeship completions for April 2012 by Pathway in England are:
	
		
			 Pathway Intermediate (Level 2) Advanced (Level 3) 
			 Catering and Professional Chefs   
			 Food Production and Cooking 2,536 — 
			 Professional Cookery 1,960 409 
			 Patisserie and Confectionary — 35 
			    
			 Hospitality   
			 Hospitality Services 4,619 — 
			 Food and Beverage Services 3,459 — 
			 Housekeeping 572 — 
			 Front of House Reception 254 — 
			 Hospitality, Supervision and Leadership — 1,953 
			    
			 Travel   
			 Travel Services—Leisure and Business; Tour Operators, Head Office; Tour Operators, Field Staff 334 — 
			 Travel Services—Leisure and Business — 352 
			 Tour Operators—Field Staff — 22 
		
	
	Data for 2010 and 2011 is not available.
	We are not aware of any apprenticeships having been created in public libraries for the geographical areas or the years requested. However, there is potential for apprenticeships in libraries in the future through Arts Council's Creative Employment Programme which was launched in March 2013. It supports the creation of traineeships, apprenticeships and internships for young unemployed people aged 16 to 24 wishing to pursue a career in the arts and cultural sector including libraries. The programme is managed by Creative and Cultural Skills and will distribute £15 million to the programme which completes in 2015.

Directly Operated Railways

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport for how many rail passenger franchises Directly Operated Railways could take over responsibility in the event that it is not possible for his Department to successfully conclude contract extension negotiations with the incumbent train operating company.

Simon Burns: The Secretary of State has the responsibility under the Railways Act 1993 as amended, to maintain the continuity of passenger rail services. Under Section 30 of the Act the Secretary of State has the power to transfer the operation of services to an "operator of last resort." Directly Operated Railways fulfil the function of that "operator of last resort." In the event that the Department is unable to successfully conclude negotiations for a Direct Award with the incumbent train operating company, we do not foresee any problem with Directly Operated Railways continuing to fulfil the Secretary of State's duty under the Act.

Railways: East of England

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the cost to the public purse of introducing a half-hourly train service between Cambridge and Stansted Airport.

Simon Burns: The Government has not yet conducted an assessment of what the cost to the public purse is of providing half-hourly service between Cambridge and Stansted airport. We would normally consider this as part of developing the proposition for the franchise. In the specific case of East Anglia it will not be possible to consider this before the franchise starting in 2016 as there will be no more diesel trains available to operate this service before this date.

Railways: East of England

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the potential gross value added to the economy of the East of England by improving rail links between Cambridge and Stansted Airport.

Simon Burns: The Government has not yet conducted an assessment of the potential gross value added to the economy of the East of England by improving rail links between Cambridge and Stansted airport. We would normally consider this as part of developing the proposition for the franchise. In the specific case of East Anglia it will not be possible to consider this before the franchise starting in 2016 as there will be no more diesel trains available to operate this service before this date.

Railways: Franchises

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether his Department is subject to a legal duty to undertake a consultation exercise on the content of rail franchises prior to issuing an invitation to tender.

Simon Burns: The Department is under no express statutory duty to consult the public on the content of rail franchises but is subject to an overriding duty to act fairly in the exercise of its functions. The Railways Acts do include obligations to consult with certain devolved Administrations, Passenger Transport Executives and other bodies before issuing an Invitation to Tender. In the past we have carried out a public consultation on the service specification for each franchise prior to the issue of an Invitation to Tender and we expect to do so for future competitions.

Railways: Franchises

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether his Department plans to undertake further consultation on the content of contracts for rail passenger franchises prior to issuing any new invitations to tender for such contracts, in light of the (a) revised rail franchise schedule published on 26 March 2013 and (b) recommendations of the Brown review of the rail franchising programme; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: The Government is in frequent dialogue with the rail industry, local authorities and passengers regarding the development of rail franchises. The Department has previously carried out formal consultation on each specific franchise prior to the issue of the Invitation to Tender for them and we intend to continue to do so.
	The Department has previously consulted on the Essex Thameside; Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern; and East Coast franchises. When formulating the Invitations to Tender for these competitions we will take into account the views expressed in the responses to these consultations alongside the recommendations of the Brown review, which Richard Brown stated should be,
	"implemented on a phased basis".

Rescue Services

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many and what proportion of shifts were staffed at below risk-assessed levels across all maritime rescue co-ordination centres in April 2013.

Stephen Hammond: Out of the 960 watchkeeping shifts worked across all Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centres (MRCCs) during April 2013 172.8 individual shifts were staffed at below risk assessed levels. These situations are mitigated by 'MRCC pairing' where each MRCC is connected to at least one other MRCC which is available to provide mutual support.

Buildings

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the total running costs were for each building used, owned or rented in central London by her Department and its non-departmental public body in each of the last three financial years.

Alan Duncan: DFID occupied premises at 1 Palace Street, London, SW1, over the last three years. The total running costs for this building were as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
			 2010-11 8,214,704 
			 2011-12 8,703,838 
			 2012-13 (1)9,069,918 
			 (1) Estimate. 
		
	
	DFID vacated this building in early 2013, and moved to smaller, freehold premises in Whitehall. The corresponding running costs are expected to be around £2,500,000 p.a., and it will save £62.5 million over the next seven years.
	In addition, the Independent Commission for Aid Impact has occupied space within the Scottish Office in Whitehall. Their costs, since their, creation, were as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
			 2011-12 20,090 
			 2012-13 (1)20,080 
			 (1) Budget figure, to be confirmed in ICAI's Annual Report to the House of Commons International Development Committee in June 2013.

EU Aid

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what her policy is on UK funding towards the European Defence and Security Policy which is then marked against the UK's Overseas Development Assistance target; and if she will make a statement.

Lynne Featherstone: The Statistical Directives issued by the Development Assistance Committee of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) set out what spending can be recorded as Official Development Assistance (ODA). The costs of Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) missions are funded as part of our assessed contributions to the European Union (EU). In accordance with these Directives, the costs of CSDP civilian led EU missions are recorded as ODA. Civilian CSDP missions have played, and continue to play, an important role in areas such as supporting Rule of Law, Border Management, and Justice Sector Reform. The costs of Military CSDP operations are mostly recorded as non-ODA due to the nature of the activities undertaken. Identified ODA eligible activities are scored as such.
	These missions are all funded through the Conflict Settlement, managed tri-departmentally by DFID, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Ministry of Defence.

EU Aid

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development with reference to the answer of 22 April 2013, Official Report, column 608W, on EU aid, how decisions on funding to Europaid and to the European Development Fund are made; what the reasons are for differing amounts of funding being allocated to each; and if she will make a statement.

Lynne Featherstone: At the February 2013 European Council, EU Heads of State agreed the funding ceilings for the next budget cycle, 2014-20, for the European Development Fund (EDF) and for the General EU Budget including external assistance. The funding ceiling and member states shares for the EDF are now finalised and allocation to individual EDF spending priorities is being negotiated by member states.
	EU Budget financial ceilings are now subject to negotiation and agreement with the European Parliament. External assistance programmes funded from the EU Budget will then be agreed by member states. UK's financial shares for these programmes will be determined as part of our overall EU Budget share.
	EuropeAid, the European Commission Directorate-General responsible for designing EU development policies and delivering aid programmes, manages both the EDF and the EU aid instruments under the General EU Budget.

Prisons: Electronic Equipment

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much was spent on (a) televisions, (b) games consoles, (c) subscription television channels and (d) DVD players in publicly-run prisons.

Jeremy Wright: On 30 April, we announced changes to the Incentives and Earned Privileges (IEP) scheme, under which prisoners earn access to in cell television, games consoles and DVD players. The changes, which will come into effect from 1 November, will ensure that privileges are appropriate and earned not just through good behaviour but also through the demonstration of positive behaviour targeted at rehabilitation.
	The provision of in-cell television in both public and private sector prisons is entirely self-financing; the money comes from payments made by prisoners. Some establishments may have televisions in other areas of the prison; for example, in public areas or for education provision.
	In the adult estate, all games consoles are purchased at prisoners own expense. No public funds must be used to purchase games consoles and equipment. Access to games consoles is restricted to prisoners who are on the enhanced level of the Incentives and Earned Privileges (IEP) scheme. Separate arrangements are in place in the under-18 estate.
	Subscription television channels are not available in publicly run prisons. The changes we are introducing to the IEP scheme mean that access to subscription television channels is being removed from contracted out prisons.
	Where prisoners are permitted to purchase DVD players, under local IEP schemes, this is at their own expense. Some prisons may use DVD players as part of education provision.
	The National Offender Management Service's central accounting system does not hold separately expenditure details on televisions, games consoles for the under 18 estate, or DVD players used outside of cells in publicly-run prisons. In order to obtain the costs, local records would need to be examined at each establishment. The costs would then need to be extracted, disaggregated and then centrally collated and reviewed. To establish these costs would therefore incur a disproportionate cost.

Prisons: Mental Health Services

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what mental health treatment options are available to prisoners; whether there is proven-cost-effectiveness for those treatments; and what the average cost is of prison-based mental health treatment per prisoner.

Norman Lamb: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department of Health.
	Prisoners have the same mental health problems as everyone else. Treatment is based on National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines and wherever possible is equivalent to that provided in the community. There is therefore a range of medication, individual and group therapy.
	From 1 April 2013 NHS England has been responsible for the commissioning of mental health services for prisoners.
	The information requested about cost effectiveness and average cost is not held centrally.

Electoral Register

Chris Ruane: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the outcome of his Department's matching of the electoral register with Department for Work and Pensions data in communities with (a) seaside towns and (b) towns with high student populations; and what effect this work will have on the size of electorates in these constituencies.

Chloe Smith: As part of the transition to Individual Electoral Registration (IER) entries on the electoral register will be matched against data held by Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) for the purposes of confirming existing electors, a process which will simplify the transition for the majority of existing electors. Last year the Cabinet Office undertook pilots to test this process and we published our evaluation of these pilots earlier this year which is available to download from:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/simplifying-the-transition-to-individual-electoral-registration
	The evaluation report includes an analysis of match rates by population groups and while no specific analysis was undertaken of seaside towns the results did suggest that match rates were lower in areas with high student populations. However, anyone who cannot be confirmed will still be invited to register individually and will retain their ability to vote in the 2015 general election. By using confirmation to simplify the process for the majority of electors it means resources can be focused on maximising registration among those people who cannot be confirmed, including individuals who are not currently registered. We are also currently running a separate set of pilots exploring whether data matching against DWP and other trusted national data sets can be used to find potential electors who are not currently registered but may be eligible to do so, in order to invite them to register. The results of the pilots, which are specifically targeted at boosting registrations among students, attainers and home-movers, will be published in the summer.

Jobcentre Plus

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to the answer of 22 April 2013, Official Report, columns 702-3W, on Jobcentre Plus, which of his ministerial colleagues visited each of the Jobcentre Plus centres listed in the last 12 months.

Mark Hoban: The answer to your question is in the following table:
	
		
			 Minister Jobcentre Plus Office 
			 Chris Grayling—Minister for Employment Hounslow JCP 
			  Dartford JCP 
			  Haverhill JCP 
			  Chatham JCP 
			  Darlington JCP 
			  Nottingham JCP 
			  Wolverhampton JCP 
			 Mark Hoban—Minister for Employment Hammersmith JCP 
			  City Tower JCP 
			  Grimsby JCP 
		
	
	
		
			  Morriston JCP 
			  Leicester JCP 
			  Wood Green JCP 
			  London Bridge JCP 
			  Loughton JCP 
			  Gloucester Benefit Centre 
			 Maria Miller—Minister for Disabled People Bootle Benefit Centre 
			 Esther McVey—Minister for Disabled People Bootle Benefit Centre 
			  Peel Park Model Office 
			  Runcorn JCP 
			 Lord Freud—Minister for Welfare Reform Stretford JCP 
			  Eastgate JCP 
			  Derby Contact Centre 
			  Folkestone JCP 
			  Wigan JCP 
			  Warrington JCP

Jobseeker's Allowance: Internet

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of new claims for jobseeker's allowance were made online (a) in total and (b) by claimants living in Bassetlaw constituency in each of the last 12 months.

Mark Hoban: The following table shows the total percentage of new claims made for jobseeker’s allowance online nationally.
	Data for claimants living in the Bassetlaw constituency is not available in the format requested.
	
		
			  National (MISP measure) (percentage) 
			 May 2012 23.4 
			 June 2012 29.5 
			 July 2012 30.9 
			 August 2012 32.1 
			 September 2012 39.0 
			 October 2012 39.3 
			 November 2012 41.9 
			 December 2012 45.5 
			 January 2013 51.4 
			 February 2013 52.9 
			 March 2013 55.2 
			 April 2013 66.3

Universal Credit

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the housing cost contribution under universal credit on (a) levels of homelessness and (b) the number of people aged from 21 to 25 years making a separate claim for universal credit to cover housing costs.

Steve Webb: The Government thinks that it is reasonable that someone living in a claimant's home should be asked to contribute towards the rent. The contribution under universal credit is set at around £16 per week. This contribution will be expected only where the person is either in work or there is an expectation that they should be working. It will not be expected if the person is a carer, responsible for a young child or in receipt of a specified disability benefit.
	No assessment is available on the potential impacts of the housing cost contribution in universal credit in respect of (a) or (b).